(C) Sheffield United, 1st

After several years in the League One doldrums and a dismal finish under Nigel Adkins last season hopes weren’t too high when Chris Wilder was appointed as the new manager last May. The start of the season led us to believe that we would be in a relegation battle, as we sat at the bottom of the table after four games.

Well, we were wrong. Very wrong. The Blades started winning and they won a lot. Up the table we climbed, playing attractive football. Wilder changed to a 3-5-2 formation long before Antonio Conte did at Chelsea. Buoyed by excellent support home and away, we roared to the title. Wilder has rejuvenated Sheffield United in style. Here’s to next season in the Championship. Don’t be surprised to see the Blades in the top half of the table. Shorehamview

Sheffield United manager Chris Wilder and his players with the League One trophy. Photograph: Craig Brough/Reuters

(P) Bolton Wanderers, 2nd

In light of having a transfer embargo, having to integrate loan signings and free transfer players, and not having a proven goalscorer in the squad, we exceeded expectations. Manager Phil Parkinson has had a calming influence on the team, but now needs to prove he’s capable of managing at Championship level. The financial situation needs to be further stabilised and the club sold to wealthy but credible owners. Martin

Scunthorpe United, 3rd

This went as well as can be expected realistically. I don’t begrudge Millwall their victory in the play-off semi-finals. We looked all tuckered out during the two legs and didn’t deserve it after our disappointing second half to the season. But our front three of Paddy Madden, Josh Morris and Ivan Toney were outstanding and scored some goals that were worthy of the Premier League.

Local legend Graham Alexander brought with him plenty of positivity and the ability to get the most out of a small squad. Josh Morris’s goals early in the season were vital in putting us top for several weeks, as was an unexpected solidity in our often shaky defence. I’m guessing we’ll struggle to hold onto Morris, and perhaps Madden, during the window. But we’re a small club with a tiny squad from an unglamorous and struggling town. If you offered me anything in the top half of League One I’d be happy. BB

Scunthorpe’s Craig Davies looks dejected after play-off semi final defeat, but there were plenty of positive for the club this season. Photograph: John Clifton/Reuters

Fleetwood, 4th

There were some terrific wins for Fleetwood this season, but unfortunately they couldn’t find one when it mattered against Bradford in the play-off semi-finals, despite running them close. To finish fourth on a shoestring budget shows how much of a miracle Uwe Rosler worked this term. He definitely had a point to prove after poor managerial experiences at both Wigan and Leeds. He must surely be offered an improved contract for next season. We’ve come so close to getting to the Championship, it would be such a shame to have to tear it all up again now. Ben

Bradford City, 5th

Finishing the job at Wembley against Millwall would have been the perfect end to the season, but alas we fell just short on the day. The season overall has to go down as one of the best for a long long time though. Stuart McCall, arguably the club’s greatest ever player, returned and revolutionised our style of play.

While he has been successful in moving on from the soporific style of Phil Parkinson, we still have an underlying issue of not converting the abundance of chances we create. That was the case on Saturday too. McCall has kept faith with the foundations of the team, while another Bantam legend, Greg Abbot, has recruited astutely. I’m confident we’re on the right track and will be in a good position to give it another go in August. Michael Brett

Bradford City fans enjoying the Fleetwood sun after their play-off final against Millwall is confirmed. Photograph: David Blunsden/Action Plus via Getty Images

(P) Millwall, 6th

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A good campaign turned into a fantastic one for us when we beat Bradford in our second consecutive play-off final. I was there to watch Steve Morison smash home our late winner. The hurt of last year’s 3-1 defeat to Barnsley is finally a thing of the past. We also had a great FA Cup run where we eliminated three Premier League sides at the Den, including Leicester, the champions of England. The FA Cup hindered our league form. If we’d been knocked out earlier on, I think we’d have been in contention for the second automatic position place. We have quite a small, tight-knit group and only managed to sneak into the play-offs on the final day. But by beating Scunthorpe over two legs and standing firm against Bradford at Wembley, we deserve to take our place in the Championship next season.

Neil Harris has done a cracking job since taking over in 2015. He’s a club legend and the supporters will always be behind him. He’s one of us. The board need to back him now for a tough Championship campaign. We’ve been successful this season due to a very strong defence, going over 14 hours without conceding at one stage this season. Lee Gregory and Morison have a great partnership offensively and will always score goals at this level with the right service. We were desperate to be back in the second tier and I’m delighted we did it on Saturday! Dan Clarke

Southend United, 7th

The season overall was a success, despite the final-day heartbreak of Millwall nabbing the last play-off spot. Phil Brown has us playing attractive football while keeping us more defensively sound than last season. A common problem this season was the conceding of silly late goals, notably against Sheffield United. Had that goal not gone in, we would have been in the play-offs.

This team is willing but would not survive the brutal slog of a Championship season. Signings along the spine of the team are vital. We need to bring in an able and willing centre-back to partner Anton Ferdinand and another striker to make another promotion push. Alexander Gowing

Southend United manager Phil Brown came close to securing a play-off place for his side this season. Photograph: Tony O'Brien/Reuters

Oxford United, 8th

Having been newly promoted at the start of the season, the club has learned a lot from their first year in back in League One and have ultimately held their own. The cup runs were decent again but, had we taken more points against the teams we went up with from League Two last year, we could have finished even higher than eighth. We have a chairman and manager who appear to trust each other and are taking the club forwards. Hopefully we will buy the stadium in the near future too. Jon

Oxford United are on the way up under Michael Appleton. Photograph: Felix Clay/The Guardian

Rochdale (9th)

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With just one defeat in April, we were seriously pushing for a play-off place, but ultimately we left ourselves with too much to do. It could have been different had we not drawn three of those last seven games, but I’m still happy with the progress made this season. Keith Hill is still doing a great job for us. Consistency has been the key and Hill has been given time to gradually get us better and better. A play-off place was so near yet still so far after this season and, although we’re making steady League One progress, dreams of Championship football are still of the pipe variety. Scott

Bristol Rovers, 10th

This was a good solid season after two back-to-back promotions. We consolidated a League One position comfortably. There was even a possibility of a play-off place, but it fell away towards the end of the season. Tenth is a good base for a promotion push next season. The owners have a coherent vision for the club and back an ambitious manager who is unwilling to let the club stand still. We have to kick on next season. Colin Favour

Peterborough United, 11th

We went into the season with high expectations, mostly from our ambitious chairman, but insipid performances, bemusing managerial decisions and overall poor consistency meant that we finished the season with little improvement from the season prior. I believe most of our players seem to use Peterborough as a stepping stone for their career. There was a huge lack of cohesion and camaraderie within the squad for the predominance of the season. This was clear to see from the terraces as many performances, especially at London Road, were uninspiring affairs with us more often than not either losing, playing out a cagey draw, or recording an unconvincing and scrappy victory.

We need to invest in experienced players who have the drive and passion to succeed and bring the passion back to London Road that we have lacked in the last few seasons. Attendances are dropping and people are starting to lose interest. One more mediocre season and I feel that we will be considered a fully established League One club which, for a club who still has reasonably recent Championship pedigree, is not a good thing. Jack Toulson

MK Dons, 12th

Woeful until Christmas, considerably less woeful after Christmas. In fact a good enough second half of the season to leave me quietly optimistic for 2017/18. With all due respect to Rotherham, Wigan and Blackburn there is no temporarily embarrassed big club coming down who will go on to waltz the division.

Calling time on Karl Robinson’s time made the difference. The abject collapse in the Championship was disappointing but maybe understandable, but to do the same in the first dozen games in League One meant it was time for him to go. Robbie Nielsen has got a much better set of results and performances from basically the same players. Pikeman

Charlton Athletic, 13th

We were supposed to get promoted according to the board, but with our “top six budget” we finished 13th. And it could have been far worse. We lost to such footballing titans (no disrespect intended) as Shrewsbury, Bury, Oldham, Northampton and Oxford. We averaged crowds of 6,000 in a 27,000-seater stadium. All the while being run into the ground by Roland Duchâtelet. Negative, boring football under Russell Slade followed by tactically inept performances under Karl Robinson. The protests were good though. Tom

Walsall, 14th

At the start of the season, with the squad that only missed out on automatic promotion on the final day of last season decimated, we would have taken mid-table safety. It feels anti-climatic though. If the season were 38 games long, like in the Premier League, we’d have just missed out on the play-offs. That’s how badly we faded at the end and it cast a shadow over an otherwise stable season.

Jon Witney’s first full season as manager can’t be regarded as a failure, but he struggled to keep the players motivated at key times, particularly at the end of the season. Erhun Oztumer, the Turkish Messi, was a revelatory free transfer with spectacular goals galore. But more goals should have been delivered by Cypriot international Andreas Makris, the first player we paid a fee for in a decade. Daniel Jones

AFC Wimbledon, 15th

I’d have taken finishing 15th at the start of the season, especially after such a poor start. We looked like we could compete with the best teams in the league in some games, but were also completely outclassed in others. Highlights obviously include beating the franchise 2-0 and coming from 3-0 down to beat Curzon Ashton in the FA Cup. But crashing out of the FA Cup to Sutton, finishing below Milton Keynes and only scoring once in our last nine games leaves mixed emotions going into next year.

Manager Neal Ardley has given us stability, having kept the majority of the squad from last season and added some astute signings. The end of the season felt quite flat but there were some very good patches of form. Tom Elliott has had a brilliant season and Jake Reeves could easily be a Championship player. We need to hold on to players with that type of ability. Callum

Northampton Town, 16th

Losing League Two-winning manager Chris Wilder and key players over the summer was a big blow. New manager Rob Page was unable to replicate the team spirit and winning mentality of the side. We were in the top five after a positive start but results began to unravel in October and November, and they never really picked up, which culminated in Page being dismissed in early January.

This is a pivotal time in Justin Edinburgh’s managerial career. Recruitment is absolutely key. If he gets it right, he could take himself and the team to the next level. If not, he’ll be gone around Christmas with his reputation damaged, irrevocably perhaps, and we’ll be fighting against relegation again. Party Horse

Oldham Athletic, 17th

Thanks to the resurgence under John Sheridan in the last few months of the season, we’ve kept our heads above water yet again. He brought stability to the club, galvanising the players. Losing just two games of our last 10 was a success. But overall it’s the same old story of lack of funds, players who never seem to have a desire to play unless they are almost past the point of rescue, and generally an atmosphere-free stadium. No doubt John Sheridan will be let go in October only to come back in early April to save us from the drop once more. I predict 20th next season, if we’re lucky. Patrick McKiernan

Boundary Park, home of Oldham Athletic. Photograph: Christopher Thomond for The Guar/Christopher Thomond

Shrewsbury, 18th

Having flirted with relegation in the 2015-16 season, it was really disappointing to have another backs-to-the-wall campaign this year. It started very badly with Micky Mellon, who jumped ship to managed in the National League with Tranmere when we were rock bottom, and it was up to Paul Hurst and Chris Doig to pick up the pieces. Which they did to an extent. My only hope for next season is not to suffer another nail biting relegation threatened campaign. Mid-table mediocrity would do just fine. Daniel

Bury, 19th

Survival was achieved despite defeat on the final day, but it was a depressing season; three permanent managers, over 30 players, the usual rolling cast of goalkeepers and wages wasted on players who have had their day (bye bye, Jermaine Pennant!) Any club that loses 12 consecutive league games can count itself lucky to stay up, and we certainly do.

Last summer’s recruitment was disastrous. Painfully short at the back, and overpaid striker Ishmael Miller only managed three league appearances. Call me Ishmael? No thanks. Lee Clark arrived in February and immediately went to five at the back. We defended infinitely better, while continuing to rely on James Vaughan at the other end. 24 league goals is a serious return for a team finishing 19th in the league. Without him we would clearly have been relegated with room to spare. Darrien

Gillingham, 20th

After last season, when we missed the play-offs on the last day, I was fairly optimistic. Instead we’ve gone back to square one. Our appalling away form, managerial changes and our star player going off the boil resulted in a season that started badly and ended with us staying in League One because other teams were even worse than us.

Our big summer transfer was Paul Konchesky. After 34 appearances for QPR last season, it was considered he’d be a marked improvement in defence. The fact that he dropped four levels to Billericay Town says everything about our summer recruitment. If 17th place was bad enough for Justin Edinburgh to be sacked, then 20th place should be curtains for Ady Pennock. David

(R) Port Vale, 21st

It looked bad in pre-season when the chairman forced out Rob Page and a progressively good team of professionals was pushed aside for Bruno Ribeiro and a group of unproven European players seemingly picked at random from an agent catalogue. Even when early signs seemed promising to outsiders, when we were in the play-offs until November, nobody watching Port Vale week in week out was surprised when the wheels fell off. The quality on display was well below expectations.

Chairman Norman Smurfwaite decided to gamble stability on his foreign legion plan, and it has backfired. Players like Paolo Tavares are on big money two year contracts despite performances suggesting that even League Two will be too much for him. Smurfwaite needs to sell the club. Vale will only make money if someone can bankroll us back to the second tier. The stadium and infrastructure are big enough to sustain such football, with a profitable reward for such an investor. League 2 football will just see us accumulate ever more debt from dwindling crowds. Tom Hughes

(R) Swindon Town, 22nd

Hello League Two, it’s not been long enough! But the writing was on the wall from mid-November and, despite a raft of loan signings in the window, the inevitable happened in the penultimate game of the season. We have a chairman more concerned with finances than results. There’s a strained relationship between the club and local media. We have a manager who is actually no more than a coach. And then there’s Tim Sherwood... Shaun Crowe

(R) Coventry City, 23rd

Aside from one day in the sun at Wembley, it has been horrendous. We didn’t win a league game until 1 October, which turned out to be our first and last away league victory. We were on our second manager of the season by then. We broke many club records, but the most depressing is that none of our four managers managed to get their side to score three in a league match.

Tony Mowbray had a pathetic transfer window last summer. Russell Slade didn’t know which players to pick and in which system to play them and ended up using the January transfer window as badly as Mowbray used the summer one. Our inept owners are preventing many from focusing on the football. When I first got a season ticket, Coventry were a Premier League club. Now I support a fourth-tier club, mainly because of 20 years of horrific mismanagement. Paul Knowles

(R) Chesterfield, 24th

This has been a total shambles of a season. Rock bottom of the table, courted controversy by signing Ched Evans, and even he could not save an underperforming squad of zero quality. Boss Danny Wilson had no funds to improve and was sacked prematurely. He was replaced by Gary Caldwell, who had no new ideas and no budget.

Owner Dave Allen has pulled the plug after slowly selling off the superb players Paul Cook built into a quality side. Despite the sales, the club is still in massive debt. On top of that, our director of football, Chris Turner, had the PR skills of David Brent and the directors don’t seem overly bothered. This season we’ve seen a fake raffle winner announced and local pie suppliers Jacksons having their contract terminated to save cash. James